From Ngozi Uwujare

Two sisters who escaped death by the whiskers would henceforth view their father as the devil’s incarnate after his failed attempt to murder them.

The extremely lucky young ladies, 23-year-old Ezonboere Odoni and her 16-year-old sibling, Miemene Odoni, are receiving treatment at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, where they were taken to by benevolent neighbours.

As Sunday Sun gathered, the victims were viciously attacked by their father, Ekpokemem Odoni, 57, who dealt deep machete cuts on the heads, hands and legs of his daughters with clear intent to kill them while they were sleeping.

The satanic act took place in Agudama in Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State on January 9, 2017, about 11.00pm.

The chain of events that brought the two sisters close to death’s door began when their father sustained a serious injury on his right leg in Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, where he had gone to cut wood.

When he got home, and in show of love to their father, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Amba Asuquo told Sunday Sun that the two sisters boiled hot water for the suspect to bathe with and also cleaned the wound which had started to smell. They also sought to prepare food for him.
At this point the devil strolled into the situation, and pushed Ekpokemem to doubt the good intentions of his daughters, claiming that he overheard them plotting to kill him by putting a charm in his bath water and on his bed.

Egged on by the devil, his mind went into overdrive. About 11.00pm when his daughters were sleeping, he suddenly picked up his machete, allegedly went into their room and viciously attacked them, and cut them on the head, shoulders and other parts of their bodies.

Seeing the massive flow of blood, and believing that his daughters were dead, he ran out of the house in an attempt to get away from the scene of the alleged crime. But that very moment, a police patrol team was in the area. Upon his undue haste and furtive glances, they became suspicious and pulled him aside for routine questioning.

In the process, he spilled the beans and confessed what he had just done to his daughters. He was taken to Akenfa Police Station, from where the case was transferred to the headquarters of the State Criminal Investigation Department (Homicide Section), Bayelsa Police Command, Yenagoa.

Meanwhile, neighbours quickly rescued the two daughters and took them to Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, where healthcare staff battled to save their lives.

One of the daughters, Miemene, who spoke with Sunday Sun on her hospital bed, told Sunday Sun: “We love our father. We cannot hurt our father. My father came home on that fateful day with a big injury. We boiled water for him to bathe and clean the wound.

“After taking care of him, we went to bed. While we were sleeping my father attacked us with a cutlass and tried to kill us. When he thought that we were dead, he left the house. It was our neighbours that rescued us and brought us to this hospital (NDUTH), where we are receiving treatment.”

The suspect, Ekpokomem, while recounting what transpired before he committed the alleged criminal act said: “I went to Sagbama to cut wood. But I got injured in my leg. When I returned home, my daughters boiled water for me and also cooked food for me. But as they were discussing between themselves, I overhead them say that they would put charm in my water and food to kill me. So I refused to eat the food. When they were sleeping at night, around 11.00pm, I took my cutlass and went to where they were sleeping and attacked them.

I thought they were dead and ran away in fear. On the road, a police team on patrol saw me. They suspected I did something wrong; so they stopped me and asked questions. I confessed what I did to my daughters. They took me to Akenfa Police Station. I have regretted my action. I want God to forgive my evil act.”

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, in-charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Mr. Ahmed Abdul, while corroborating what the Commissioner said, added that Ekpokemem that the cutlass allegedly used by the suspect to commit the criminal act had been recovered by detectives.

The Commissioner of Police assured that the suspect would soon be charged to court.